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It's a long story but we own the house, so we can do any construction work in the basement to make it safe for living. The only issue is that the person living upstairs smokes cigarettes frequently (and this won't change) so is there a way to block all the vents somehow or make it to where it's safe to live in the basement? I know there's a certain type of paint you can use to de-smokify the basement (which would have to be done, the person has smoked in this house for decades) but once that's done is it safe to live there? We can do anything we can and are willing to put in money to make it safe, is there any way this could be done? Air purifiers by the vents? Or will smoke seep through the floorboards? Any ideas would be so greatly appreciated, thank you guys/gals. It's a small house, ranch style, I own the entire house..

Lidee
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    You want to make the basement a positive air pressure region and upstairs negative. Pump/bring air into the basement so everything goes up though any openings/vents/cracks. The differential does not need to be much, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 pound or less. If in cool/cold temps, heat recovery systems should help. You basically want air to come into the basement area and exit up and out. – crip659 Sep 24 '23 at 21:40
  • Do you know what to use in order to pump the air in? Is there a specific place to buy something like and set it up? – Lidee Sep 24 '23 at 21:43
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    Is the person leaving? How airtight is the home? Do you need heat recovery ventilators and makeup air for bathroom and kitchen hoods, kind of tightness? Note that being "a little bit a rental property" is like being "a little bit pregnant". If your bad DIY work could threaten a renter, it's gotta be done by pros. @crip659 1/4-1/2 pound is a lot. That's 36-72 pounds per square foot. That would turn the upper floor into an air cushion vehicle lol. You would never be able to open an interconnecting door. You probably mean 1/4 to 1/2 inches of water lol. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Sep 24 '23 at 21:43
  • The person will be leaving at some point and we will be able to take over the rest of the house, but for now we can only get in the basement and work on that area. We own the house. We're not against using pros to set it up, we just want to have breathable, safe air in the basement and to know if there's any way to do that. – Lidee Sep 24 '23 at 21:46
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    A couple of fans pushing air in the basement from outside, and maybe a couple upstairs pushing air out should do it. Or you could seal the whole basement ceiling wall to wall with 6mil poly with all seams taped and caulk. HVAC systems/plumbing/electrical sealed also. – crip659 Sep 24 '23 at 21:54
  • Unless you have profound asthma, like frequent hospitalizations level, it's _safe_ already. It might be annoying, but it's not a dangerous exposure you need to be concerned with for 6 months. The cancer rates of live-in non-smoking partners of 2+ packs/day smokers after 20 years is but a few percent higher than average, and you're not even going to be in the same room as the smoker. Ventilate a bit, run a hepa filter and stop worrying. – dandavis Sep 24 '23 at 22:05
  • If you own the house make them smoke outside....simple fix. – matt. Sep 24 '23 at 23:06
  • No! The best way is to go to a non smoking area to live. – Gil Sep 25 '23 at 06:30

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Depends a great deal on the HVAC system(s.)

If you have one hot air furnace/central air conditioner serving both spaces, the air all gets mixed.

If you have two completely separate systems, or mini-splits, or hot water baseboard heat and only use window AC or no AC, there's some hope of separating the two spaces, air-sealing-wise.

If you have to change from a single system to a different type of system or additional system to separate the spaces, it will be expensive; but it can be done.

As for "de-smokifiying" my understanding is that ozone generators (applied when you have the spaces separated and are not actually IN the basement space) are a good approach, along with removing anything that holds the crud (like carpets) and cleaning everything else it will have settled on (like walls, ceilings, and solid-surface floors.)

Ecnerwal
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  • It all shares that same HVAC systems right now, but we would be willing to not use the AC or Heat from upstairs and use our own little mini heaters if needed. Would there be a way to just shut off the HVAC system from upstairs, like sealing off the vents or something? We're willing to do whatever we can to completely seal off the space and not rely on the HVAC that is upstairs in any way, we just want to live down there and have it be safe/breathable and have the smoke not reach us. – Lidee Sep 24 '23 at 22:25
  • That would depend on the vent setup. It's pretty normal to have the furnace in the basement, servicing upstairs, though it's also normal in some areas to have it in the attic. If the furnace is in the basement, then that part of the basement can't be air-sealed from the upstairs. – Ecnerwal Sep 24 '23 at 22:29